Doctor Strange is one citizen of the Marvel comic book universe long-rumored to make the jump to the big screen sometime in the future. Over the past few years, there’ve been various rumors about how that might happen, be it with a live-action installment in the Marvel Cinematic universe or an animated movie by Pixar (as was mentioned at one point). Then, in 2011, screenwriters Thomas Dean Donnelly and Joshua Oppenheimer were reported to have turned in their own Doctor Strange script draft to Marvel. Since that, “evidence” in the form of rumors and comments made by Marvel head of production Kevin Feige about the magical superhero have been piling up.

What does it all point towards? That the Sorcerer Supreme will, in fact, be included as part of Phase 3 for the MCU and that an official announcement could take place at Marvel’s panel at the 2013 International Comic-Con later this week. Until that time, we can offer a new casting possibility to chew on: Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Stephen Vincent Strange.

This rumor was provided by Latino Review, with the following disclaimer:

Now at press time, we are not saying that an offer has been made, that talks have even engaged and who knows, Levitt and his team are probably unaware, BUT we are hearing that Marvel execs internally are discussing that Levitt is who they figure would be ideal.

Levitt is a hot commodity right now (and his career isn’t doing badly either – hey-o!), as he will follow his roles in last year’s Dark Knight Rises, Looper and Lincoln with his directing debut Don Jon this fall – that indie film is already earning critical acclaim – followed by a leading role in Sin City: A Dame to Kill For in summer 2014. Problem is, he’s already a big enough star that he can demand a substantial salary for any role he chooses. Not to mention, Levitt seems to enjoy his freedom, as suggested by his tendency to keep a cool head whenever people start asking him about his potential involvement with a Justice League movie (among other reasons, that is).

Point being, Marvel tends to be pretty business-savvy, by not offering actors big-money contracts until the studio has to (see Robert Downey Jr.’s past deals with the studio) and signing them up for multiple-movie commitments. Similarly, the studio traditionally prefers to bring on headlining actors who’re ready to pop in terms of popularity (see Chris Pratt in Guardians of the Galaxy), but aren’t there already (lest they be able to command too much creative control and influence). That is a description that simply does not fit Levitt, regardless of whether you love or loathe the idea of him playing Doctor Strange.

So, if Levitt isn’t what you call a realistic casting option, why mention Marvel’s interest in him at all? Well, according to LR, he fits the pre-requisites for the role (as envisioned in the film adaptation):

In the current draft of the script by Oppenheimer and Donnelly, the Sorcerer Supreme is written for someone in their early 30s. Levitt has both the charm and also the swagger the script currently demands. That and the fact that Levitt is one of the more likeable actors in town.

Basically, the implication is that Levitt is the kind of person that Marvel is looking for to portray Doctor Strange, as opposed to an older candidate like Patrick Dempsey (Grey’s Anatomy) or such fan suggestions as Benedict Cumberbatch, Liam Neeson and even Johnny Depp (mind you, we’re not claiming that all fans are behind such casting ideas). Who knows, maybe when all is said and done, Levitt could wind up with the role – but consider us very skeptical of the proposition for the time being.

Since we’re throwing names out there, who do you want to see play Doctor Strange in the Marvel Cinematic Universe? Let us know in the comments section.

Iron Man 3 releases on DVD and Blu-ray on September 24th, 2013.

Meanwhile, Thor: The Dark World opens in theaters on November 8th, 2013, followed by Captain America: The Winter Soldier on April 4th, 2014, Guardians of the Galaxy on August 1st, 2014, The Avengers 2 on May 1st, 2015, Ant-Man on November 6th, 2015, and unannounced films for May 6th, 2016, July 8th, 2016 and May 5th, 2017.